These links are screwed up; they just put you back on smartplaylists.com. Which is a GREAT site, and I'm happy to browse it, but it's not Apple's iTunes support page, as the link suggests.

Thanks for the head's up. I fixed the links.

You should also contribute to Apple's feedback pages. I've told them heaps of things that I want fixed, added or changed. You should too.

iTunes: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunes.html

iPod: http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipod.html

Ok, I am new to all this!! Can someone tell me...When I import tunes to itunes and then send them to ipod, why do the tunes have to stay on my itunes desktop further clogging up my hard drive??? Does this mean I have to keep 20gb of mp3 on my hard drive forever?? Once I have sent them to ipod I want them to clear from itunes leaving my library empty..Can this be done???

Firstly pusscahh, you're way off-topic here. In future, you can start a new thread by clicking the Contribute button at the top of the page.

Secondly, your question: The basic concept of the iPod is that it is an extension to your computer. You rip your music in iTunes, then you can take it with you by using the iPod "extension". The iPod is a one-way device. You're do all your work on your music using iTunes, then merely synch it to your iPod. That's why you "have to" keep the music files. If you rip music, synch it, then delete the music files, the iPod will synch again the next time it's docked, and if the music no longer exists in iTunes, it will mirror this fact on the iPod. Result? No music on iPod.

Having said that, you can turn off automatic synching and manually drag music to the iPod to update. You do this by docking your iPod, then clicking the options button (first in row of 4 in bottom right of window) and selecting Manual Synching. If you use this method, you can delete music after synching. It's useful if you have very little hard drive space, but you're out of luck if your iPod dies and has to be reformatted.

In my opinion, the best method of synching your iPod is automatically. That way you always have an exact duplicate of your iTunes library on your iPod. You can also back up the music files to another device in case your hard drive dies. This includes archiving to CD or DVD. Hard drives cost peanuts these days. Get yourself a bigger hard drive and keep your music files.